Longbow 2
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Longbow 2'' is the sequel to the best-selling ''
Jane's AH-64D Longbow ''AH-64D Longbow'' is a realistic combat flight simulator of the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter. Released on June 3, 1996, for the PC, this simulation was developed at Origin Systems. ''AH-64D Longbow'' was the second simulator released ...
'' from ''
Jane's Combat Simulations ''Jane's Combat Simulations'' was a brand of PC flight and combat flight simulators released by Electronic Arts (EA). The Jane's Information Group branding was licensed by Electronic Arts to lend authenticity and accuracy to their growing line of ...
'', developed by Origin Systems with executive producer
Andy Hollis Andy Hollis is an American video game designer, programmer and producer, mainly known for his flight simulators. He was one of the founding members of MicroProse. Video game development He began his career at MicroProse Software, where he was re ...
on board, and released by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
on November 30, 1997.


Gameplay

A fully dynamic campaign engine is used to create challenging missions and a random mission generator can be used to create a wide variety of missions. Gameplay is dynamic in the sense that new missions are generated automatically. The game features a command structure, allowing the player to command other helicopters, including OH-58 Kiowa scouts and UH-60 Black Hawk transports. The game's primary campaign features a fictional war between the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and the
Islamic Republic of Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
in which Iranian forces invade nearby
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
in early to mid 1990s.


''Longbow Anthology''

''Longbow Anthology'' was released in 1998 and is a compilation of Jane's '' AH-64D Longbow'', the mission disk ''Flash Point: Korea'' (basically, Longbow Gold), and ''Longbow 2'' in one box, with an abbreviated manual. Although compiled into one box, the games are still played as separate games, unlike '' Fighters Anthology'' which is all games of that series compiled into one playable game. All included simulators are fully patched to the latest versions.


Reception

In the United States, the game sold 49,397 copies during 1997. Its total sales in the region reached 99,430 copies by October 1999, which drew in revenues of $3.89 million. The ''Longbow'' franchise as a whole, including the compilations and ''
Jane's AH-64D Longbow ''AH-64D Longbow'' is a realistic combat flight simulator of the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter. Released on June 3, 1996, for the PC, this simulation was developed at Origin Systems. ''AH-64D Longbow'' was the second simulator released ...
'', ultimately shipped above 1.2 million units. Kenji Takeda of '' PC Gaming World'' was positive of the game. The
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...
nominated ''Longbow 2'' for its "Personal Computer: Simulation Game of the Year" award, but gave the prize to ''
Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 ''Microsoft Flight Simulator 98'', abbreviated commonly as ''FS98'', is a flight simulator video game. It was released in late 1997 for the Microsoft Windows, Windows. Gameplay ''Flight Simulator 98'' (version 6.1) is generally regarded as a "ser ...
''. However, ''Longbow 2'' was named the best flight simulation of 1997 by ''
Computer Games Strategy Plus ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'', ''
Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'',
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
, CNET Gamecenter, '' PC Gamer US'' and the
Computer Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...
. It was also a runner-up for ''Computer Games Strategy Plus''s overall game of the year award, but lost to '' Myth: The Fallen Lords''. The editors of ''Computer Gaming World'' wrote: "Authentic, exciting, immersive, and graphically dazzling, this is a sim that transcends its genre". In 1998, ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...
'' declared it the 12th-best computer game ever released, noting its balance between realism and fun, and its campaign model and multi-player support.


See also

*'' Team Apache'' *'' Enemy Engaged: Apache vs Havoc''


References


External links

* * {{Origin Systems 1997 video games Combat flight simulators Longbow 2 Electronic Arts games Helicopter video games Origin Systems games Windows games Windows-only games Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in the United States